1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to police equipment and more particularly to a novel holder for a telescoping police baton.
2. Prior Art
It is common practice for police officers to carry batons which can be used as weapons, as crowd control aids, and for other purposes. When not in use, the baton is generally placed in a baton holder attached to the officer's belt in a manner which permits rapid removal of the baton from the holder when necessary. One type of police baton in current use is a telescoping baton having inner and outer telescoping sections. The inner section is retractable into the outer section to provide the baton with a short overall length for convenience of carrying when not in use. The inner baton section can be rapidly extended to provide the baton with a relatively long overall length for use by grasping the outer section and rotating the baton with a rapid twist or snap of the wrist.
A variety of baton holders have been devised. One type of baton holder in current use is simply a ring attached by a strap or the like to the police officer's belt. The baton is inserted endwise through the ring to a position in which the ring supports the baton with most of the length of the baton hanging below the ring. This type of holder is not suitable for telescoping batons. The existing holders for telescoping police batons comprise a holster-like body constructed of leather or other suitable material and arranged to receive a baton in either its extended or contracted configuration, and a cover strap for retaining the baton in the holder body. The holder body has an open upper end through which the baton is insertable endwise into the body and a lower end closed by a bottom-forming portion which supports the baton vertically in the body. This bottom-forming portion is made of the same material as the holder body and contains a slit-like opening through which the inner telescoping section of the baton may extend below the body in the event that the baton is inserted into the holder in its extended configuration.
This existing telescoping baton holder has certain deficiencies which the present invention eliminates. One of these deficiencies resides in the fact that over a period of time, the slit-like opening in the bottom-forming portion of the holder body tends to enlarge due to wear and stretching of the material about the opening. Quite frequently, this opening becomes sufficiently enlarged to permit the baton to drop through the bottom of the holder.
Another deficiency of the existing telescoping baton holders concerns their cover strap. This cover strap is permanently fixed at one end to the holder body at one side of its open upper end. The other end of the strap is releasably attached to the opposite side of the body by releasable securing means, such as a snap fastener. When closed, the cover strap extends over the open upper end of the holder body in such a way that the strap overlies the upper end of a baton positioned in the holder. The purpose of this cover strap is to prevent accidental loss of the baton from the holder during strenuous activity of the police officer, and to prevent an unauthorized person, such as a person being arrested, from removing the baton from the holder. The cover strap of the existing telescoping baton holders, however, is relatively flat and capable of being quite easily force sideways from the upper end of the baton sufficiently to enable the baton to be pulled upwardly from the holder.